EXIT Realty Corp. International is pleased to announce that EXIT Realty Premier is celebrating over a decade serving their Oklahoma City community, led by franchisees Bo Martin, Krista Martin, and Vada Dwaileebe.
In 2007, Bo was working as a sales representative with GMAC Real Estate when his office converted into an EXIT Realty office. “I learned everything I could about EXIT during this transition,” says Bo. “I saw potential, and I’d always wanted to become a franchisee,” and so he started planning next steps alongside his wife and business partner, Krista. Two years later, in 2009, they opened their first EXIT Realty Premier office.
“It was just a small operation at first with Kris and me,” says Bo, “but it was Vada coming on board in 2017 that made all the difference.” Bo, Krista, and Vada each brought a specialized skillset to the business, creating a diversely strong leadership. Bo’s talent lies in operations and human resources. “We say he’s the brains behind the operation,” says Vada. However, Bo is quick to add that his best decision was bringing in two strong, ambitious women to handle sales and training.
Krista and Vada run hands-on training with all their agents, of which job shadowing is a key differentiator. Agents travel alongside Krista or Vada attending listing presentations, open houses, and closings. This opportunity gives practical insights into the language and techniques these two franchisees use to be successful. “We find agents are eager to step outside the classroom, and that exposure is a really valuable learning tool,” says Vada. “I do a lot of shadowing with our agents, but Kris does the majority – she’s a rock star here in Oklahoma.”
When they’re not in the field, agents are attending bi-weekly training classes to learn best practices in goal setting, prospecting, negotiating, contracts, sales techniques, networking, market analysis, and sponsoring – Vada’s specialty.
“In the past, Kris and I kept our heads down and sold as much real estate as possible,” says Bo. We weren’t in the habit of selling our vision.” That changed with Vada who had a knack for telling her and EXIT’s story to sponsor associates. “She brought in five new sponsors in just six months. It was incredible,” says Bo. “That was an important lesson for us to learn – if you’re not out talking to people, others are going to tell your story for you, for better or worse.”
Though they do far more than just talk; Bo, Krista, Vada, and their agents are involved in many local charities and events in their community. For example, they organize coat drives for City Rescue Mission, host fundraisers for hurricane relief, and one year sponsored a Christmas dinner for an impoverished school to show their appreciation and support. “People listen to what you’re saying, but they’re also watching to see if you practise what you preach,” says Bo. “I think we’ve got a special group of agents here. Everyone is supportive and collaborative, and I believe to have that, you need to lead by example.”
They opened their second Oklahoma City office in 2019 and currently manage 35 agents. “We’re expanding, things are going great,” says Bo. “I think we could double in size, but we want to make sure it’s with people who share our vision, work hard, and treat others well. What’s important to us is that each of our agents make it in this business. We encourage them to set goals – however high – so we can work to make it happen. I think that’s what all leaders should strive towards.”
